Community Tourism Programme

While mass tourism homogenises experiences, standardises communities and puts barriers between guests and local life, Airbnb believes that when travel is unique, authentic and local, everyone benefits. We know some of the best experiences in Europe are found beyond tourist hotspots—in the communities local residents call home. As Airbnb grows, we want to help preserve and promote what makes each community unique for everyone: hosts, guests and locals alike.

That’s why we’ve launched a €5m Community Tourism Programme to support innovative projects, in local communities, that encourage and empower locals to both shape and benefit from more sustainable tourism.

The Community Tourism Programme is available for projects across Europe that welcome tourism in new ways to strengthen communities, empower citizens, and preserve and promote local culture. We’re excited to support projects that focus on one or more of the following categories:

Placemaking: Imagining and reinventing public spaces to build community for locals and visitors alike

Innovation: Reinventing the tourism and travel space by sparking entrepreneurship and strengthening local economies

Festivals and events: Preserving or celebrating local festivals and events while introducing them to a broader, appreciative audience

The Programme builds on Airbnb’s support over the past year for projects in Barcelona, Berlin, Bologna, Dublin, Hamburg, Lisbon, Milan, London and other locations—all investments in locally led innovations to help advance better tourism and protect and spotlight the best of communities and their character, customs and traditions. Globally, we’re pleased to be supporting the UNWTO’s Year of International Sustainable Tourism and its mission to champion tourism as a means toward more inclusive growth. We share in the vision of a better, community-focused tourism that considers and benefits everyone.